Minnesota·Community and Social Service Occupations·SOC 21-1094

Best Community Health Worker programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment

Promote health within a community by assisting individuals to adopt healthy behaviors.

24 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 946 people a year. The job pays a median of $47,560 in Minnesota across about 1,260 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledCommunity Health PromoterCommunity Nutrition EducatorCommunity Health Outreach WorkerCommunity Health Program CoordinatorPromoterNavigatorContact TracerGuest Advocate
Graduates / yr
946
in Minnesota
Median pay · Minnesota
$47,560
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,260
people employed
Schools
24
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
53%
across those schools
Median net price
$19,369
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

6 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 51.2201In Minnesota
502
53.1%
9$36,762$25,076
2
CIP 51.2207In Minnesota
142
15.0%
6$36,762$25,076
3
CIP 51.1504In Minnesota
130
13.7%
6$37,335$22,861
4
CIP 51.2208In Minnesota
84
8.9%
8$36,762$25,076
5
CIP 51.0001In Minnesota
78
8.2%
4$34,545$25,000
6
CIP 09.0905In Minnesota
10
1.1%
2$39,658$24,500

Top 24 schools in Minnesota

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 24 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Walden University
Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
276Public Health, General$44,285
2Capella University
Minneapolis, MN Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs
152Public Health, General20%$19,369
3University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN Public · 3 feeder programs
141Health and Wellness, General$53,98885%80%
4St Catherine University
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
86Community Health and Preventive Medicine$42,40761%$21,04292%
5Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN Public · 2 feeder programs
42Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling$46,69154%88%
6Northwest Technical College
Bemidji, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
33Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling50%
7Normandale Community College
Bloomington, MN Public · 2 feeder programs
29Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling27%
8Minnesota West Community and Technical College
Granite Falls, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
27Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling52%
9University of Minnesota - Duluth
Duluth, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
26Public Health Education and Promotion$36,52065%89%
10Rasmussen University - Minnesota
St. Cloud, MN Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs
25Public Health, General$35,43353%$19,944
11Winona State University
Winona, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
25Public Health Education and Promotion$46,25057%75%
12University of St Thomas
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
21Public Health, General$38,47576%$28,88885%
13Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN Public · 2 feeder programs
11Community Health and Preventive Medicine$32,83040%95%
14Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
11Public Health, General66%$18,16393%
15Bethany Lutheran College
Mankato, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
9Health Communication55%$16,55039%
16University of Minnesota - Crookston
Crookston, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
8Health and Wellness, General$40,36150%88%
17Bethel University
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling71%$25,22588%
18Concordia University - Saint Paul
Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Community Health and Preventive Medicine46%$17,32879%
19Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
4Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling42%
20Herzing University - Minneapolis
St. Louis Park, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Health and Wellness, General47%$16,38394%
21Saint Paul College
Saint Paul, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
4Public Health, General40%
22Bemidji State University
Bemidji, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
2Community Health and Preventive Medicine48%56%
23Anoka - Ramsey Community College
Coon Rapids, MN Public · 1 feeder programs
1Community Health and Preventive Medicine30%
24Carleton College
Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Public Health, General90%$18,66920%

All 24 schools in Minnesota

Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Minnesota that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Walden UniversityMinneapolisPrivate for-profit2762
Capella UniversityMinneapolisPrivate for-profit1521
University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesMinneapolisPublic1413
St Catherine UniversitySaint PaulPrivate not-for-profit863
Minnesota State University - MankatoMankatoPublic422
Northwest Technical CollegeBemidjiPublic331
Normandale Community CollegeBloomingtonPublic292
Minnesota West Community and Technical CollegeGranite FallsPublic271
University of Minnesota - DuluthDuluthPublic261
Rasmussen University - MinnesotaSt. CloudPrivate for-profit252
Winona State UniversityWinonaPublic251
University of St ThomasSaint PaulPrivate not-for-profit212
Saint Cloud State UniversitySaint CloudPublic112
Saint Mary's University of MinnesotaWinonaPrivate not-for-profit112
Bethany Lutheran CollegeMankatoPrivate not-for-profit91

What community health workers earn in Minnesota

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Minnesota
$47,560
Mean annual
$52,050
Jobs in state
1,260
What the range looks like
10th pct$42,610Median$47,56090th pct$69,160
Versus the national median
-8.3%

U.S. median $51,850. Minnesota pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.08×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Minnesota

Rochester, MN
$44,630median
60 jobs
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI
$48,340median
860 jobs
St. Cloud, MN
$44,610median
40 jobs
Duluth, MN-WI
$44,360median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+11.3%
Much faster than average
Openings per year
7,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
7,400
65,100 → 72,500
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus short-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Community Health Workers page.

How to become a Community Health Worker

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Active ListeningSpeakingWritingReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingActive Learning

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Minnesota

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 9 majors mapped to Community Health Workers9 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 09.0905Health Communication
  • 51.0001Health and Wellness, General
  • 51.1504Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling
  • 51.2201Public Health, General
  • 51.2207Public Health Education and Promotion
  • 51.2208Community Health and Preventive Medicine
  • 51.2209Maternal and Child Health
  • 51.2212Behavioral Aspects of Health
  • 51.3206Arts in Medicine/Health

Common questions

Answers for people weighing community health workers programs in Minnesota.

What degree do you need to become a Community Health Worker?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Public Health, General, which awarded 502 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 53.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Community Health Worker?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Public Health, Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 946 people a year in Minnesota.

How much do community health workers earn in Minnesota?+

The median is $47,560 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 8.3% below the U.S. median of $51,850. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for community health workers growing?+

BLS projects a +11.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 7,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+

24 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do community health workers work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Community Health Promoter, Community Nutrition Educator, Community Health Outreach Worker, Community Health Program Coordinator among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 21-1094.

Community Health Workers in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkUtahIndianaFloridaIdahoNorth Carolina

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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